Beyond the Sea of Time
by Aira
Summary: A few questions from Harry incite Sirius to reminisce about the days of MWPP. Major flashbackage and mystery.
1. Opening the Gate

Disclaimer: It's all J.K. Rowling's.  
  
Author's Note: *Why* is it that I am unable to stick to writing one story? This plot bunny danced its way into my brain and I couldn't get rid of it until I wrote it. Yes, there will be subsequent installments, although I seriously hope they will not interfere with "Aftermath and Awakenings." As for the story itself: Yes, it's MWPP, but different than most. (I hope.) I always thought that this would be a cool way to tell a MWPP story. Please be aware that this starts sometime in Harry's fifth year, he is staying with Sirius and Remus over Christmas break, and that an asterisk (*) signifies a flashback, or an end of a flashback. And a huge thank you to Aria* for beta-reading. That said, enjoy.  
  
Beyond the Sea of Time  
Chapter One  
A Harry Potter Fanfic by Aira  
  
***  
  
"Can you tell me about my parents' time at Hogwarts?"  
  
Sirius Black shot a surprised glance towards his godson, whom was seated across the table. The green eyes Harry had inherited from his mother were fixated on Sirius and full of longing. Sirius himself frowned thoughtfully at the sudden question. Not that it was unexpected, exactly; he should have known that Harry would question him about Lily and James eventually. But still, the question came as a surprise due to its suddenness.  
  
While Sirius considered how exactly the best way to answer this inquiry would be, memories and images of long ago already surfacing. Not the images that had haunted him in Azkaban, the images of lifeless James and Lily. No, he was recalling the glory days, the days when it seemed like the world was going for him.  
  
Shooting the old mischievous grin at his godson, Sirius began with relish. "You want to know about our Hogwarts days, eh?"   
  
Harry's eyes spoke volumes, and Sirius couldn't say he was sorrowed at the prospect of talking about the happier days of the past. It was certainly better than discussing the grim future, and Harry deserved to know more about his parents. So, somewhat rapidly, Sirius began to speak of brighter days not quite forgotten…  
  
*  
  
"BLACK, SIRIUS!" Called out a spectacled, rather severe looking woman.  
  
Sirius stepped forwards to the stool, feeling both uncontrollably nervous and wildly excited at the same time. This was it. At long last, he'd made it to Hogwarts and had every intention of enjoying it to the maximum. Suppressing the nervousness and uncertainty that were threatening to surface, Sirius walked towards the hat with what he hoped seemed like confidence.   
  
"Hmm…what have we here?" the hat said softly in his ear. "A good deal of courage and strength, I see…healthy ambition…fierce loyalty…and not a bad mind either. Dear me, where shall you go?"  
  
'I do *not* care!' Sirius thought hotly. 'Just put me somewhere, please.'  
  
He heard a deep chuckling sound from the brim of the hat. "Fiery one, aren't you? Well, I must start narrowing it down for you, I'm afraid. Let's see…you're loyal, certainly, but not really patient enough for Hufflepuff. You're quite intelligent, but studious enough for Ravenclaw you are not…dear, dear me. That leaves it between Gryffindor and Slytherin…"  
  
The hat considered for some time, until it spoke again. "Well, you're ambitious and cunning to be sure, but what really defines you is your courage and sense of honor. I'm sure you'll do quite well in GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
That last part was shouted out for the whole Hall to hear, and Sirius walked over to the applauding Gryffindor table, grinning with both joy and relief. He sank into a chair, and watched with interest as a young girl with fiery red hair and cool, sea green eyes was being Sorted.  
  
The hat declared her a Gryffindor in a matter of seconds, and she calmly walked over to the table, her face revealing nothing. She took a seat near Sirius'. Glad to have the opportunity to make friends with a fellow Gryffindor, Sirius began to speak. "Hullo," he began in a warm tone. "Name's Sirius Black, future comedian, inventor of the next big broomstick series, and outlaw."  
  
The girl-Lily Evans, was it?-shot him an extremely unimpressed look. "I have ears," she said in a tone dripping with forced patience.  
  
"Right. Just thought I'd like to, you know, talk with other Gryffindors since, you know, we'll be having a lot of classes together and stuff."  
  
It didn't take an alchemist to know that Sirius' statement had been completely babbly and ridiculous sounding. He cursed himself mentally. What was it about this girl that made him feel like a rambling toddler? Where was all that wit and sarcasm that he was always being reprimanded for? Yet somehow, in the face of this strange, cold girl, Sirius found himself at a loss for a droll comment.  
  
The girl called Lily Evans didn't respond directly to Sirius' words; she only rolled her eyes.  
  
*  
  
"Was my mum really like that?"  
  
"I'm afraid so," Sirius said with a chuckle. "At first, at any rate."  
  
"So then what happened?" Harry asked eagerly.  
  
*  
  
Too embarrassed to risk speaking again, Sirius shifted his gaze to "LESTRANGE, DANIEL!", whom was now trying on the Sorting Hat.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
The severe, beady-eyed Professor then called out another name: "LUPIN, REMUS!"  
  
Sirius watched on as a frail boy with light brown hair, slate gray eyes, and skin as white as a ghost walked quietly up to the stool. Under his eyes were dark shadows that made a sharp contrast against his pale skin, and there where was just something about him that made him seem very old and worn.  
  
After about ten seconds, the hat declared the boy a Gryffindor. He gave a small smile, and walked up to his new House. Though the way he carried himself was the epitome of calamity, he seemed almost weary in his walk. Sirius tried not to frown at this as he greeted his new classmate with his customary amiability.  
  
His words were much better received than his previous attempt at making conversation. Sirius soon found him talking animatedly to this boy called Remus Lupin, who listened with both attentiveness and awkwardness, as if he weren't used to being treated so kindly. His gray eyes soon wandered up to the nearly full moon and Sirius wondered about the dark, loathing expression that briefly crossed his face.  
  
Realizing he was being watched, the boy quickly tore his gaze from the sky, and the two commenced their conversation. They were soon joined by Peter Pettigrew, a small and rather nervous looking boy with dirty blonde hair and small black eyes, and James Potter, a tall, confident-looking fellow, with tossed black hair, round glasses, and a friendly smile that you couldn't help but like.  
  
The four conversed quietly throughout the duration of the feast, and Sirius couldn't have been happier. He had made it to Hogwarts, and better yet, he had made friends. At that moment, Sirius Black felt like nothing in the world could ever hurt him.  
  
  
  
The months that followed were among the most enjoyable of Sirius' (rather short) life. He made fast friends with James, Remus, and Peter, earned respectable grades without much effort, and had even gained the respect of several older students due to some more outrageous pranks. Sirius was on good terms with his fellow first years, with the exception of those in Slytherin. Truth be told, Sirius and his friends were quite at odds with the majority of Slytherin House. This was particularly true of Severus Snape, a greasy-haired boy with a hooked nose who was known for his knowledge of the Dark Arts and his skill in Potions. The boy had an arrogant, condescending manner of which Sirius took an immediate dislike to. Unfortunately, Professor Kerrington, the Potions Master, had picked up on this and forced the two to work together in hopes they would learn to "sort out their differences." This did nothing but heighten the animosity between the two, and they were well-known rivals. Many a detention had been served by both parties on account of the scuffles of which they were prone to.  
  
But while bouts of fighting in the corridors were far from uncommon, Sirius preferred to descend to more creative ways of expressing his distaste with the Slytherins. There was a certain satisfaction received from turning Snape's boots into rabbits and like pranks of the like that could not be matched. James seemed to derive as much pleasure as Sirius from such pranks. Remus pretended not to, but Sirius recognized such as a pretense. Then there was Peter, who usually played along passively after objecting initially. Why he did so was a mystery to Sirius.  
  
At any rate, we now find our heroes plotting revenge.  
  
"I can't believe it! How dare he!"  
  
It was with these words that Sirius stormed into the common room one night. James, who was playing chess with Remus at the moment, lazily turned his gaze towards Sirius. "What's Snape done this time?" he asked in an almost bored tone.  
  
"He told Filch that I was dripping mud over the floors, and now I've got to clean the trophy room!" Sirius fumed.  
  
"Tough," Remus remarked as he moved a piece. "But I think we really ought to keep a low profile since we've just spent a week polishing trophies over that, er, girls' dormitory incident…"  
  
Sirius heard none of this. "I think we really should teach the stupid git his place!"  
  
"And how exactly does the great Sirius Black plan to do that?"  
  
"Oh…I've a few ideas."  
  
"And those would be?"  
  
"How d'you suppose Snape would cope with having to obey every order he gets for a day?"  
  
*  
  
Harry laughed. "Did you really do that?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"How?"  
  
"They're called Obedience Potions," Sirius replied with a devilish grin.  
  
"So Snape had to obey everything?"  
  
"For a whole day."  
  
"Wow…what happened?"  
  
Sirius chortled at that. "The question is not 'what happened?', the question is what didn't happen. People were practically forming lines to have their order obeyed by Severus Snape, and each was better than the last. He had to bow down to people who he normally didn't give a second glance, shout obscenities to teachers, and even dance in the middle of the Great Hall."  
  
At that, the rapturous laughter that Harry and Sirius had barely been restraining broke out.  
  
*  
  
Amusing though their prank was, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James paid for their actions. Lily Evans had witnessed James pouring the potion into Snape's pumpkin juice, and reported such to Professor Dumbledore. At this, all four pleaded guilty and were assigned detention. It was upon returning from this detention, however, that they overheard an enigmatic conversation that would be a puzzle for months to come.  
  
From inside an empty classroom came the voice of Professor Jones, the Herbology teacher. Her tone held none of her usual composure as she spoke. "We can't go on like this, Greg!"  
  
"We do not have to," a deep male voice said in reply. "If you are ready…"  
  
"*No*, Greg!" Jones' voice snapped sharply.  
  
"Rather foolish, Joanna."  
  
"I don't care if it is or not--*no*!"  
  
"Dear, dear, Anna…please. *Think* about this! Think about the future!" the man's voice had a growing edge to it.  
  
"I have," came the equally sharp reply. "Which is exactly why…no. I won't. I refuse. And you should too…"  
  
"I'll do what I like, thank you."  
  
"Then so will I."  
  
There was a brief silence, and then the man's voice came again. "Don't think of it as cowardice, or betrayal. Think of it as protecting what really matters to you."  
  
"Greg…I…please," Professor Jones said quite helplessly, her control breaking.  
  
"I don't want to harm you, Joanna. Do what I have told you and I won't have to."  
  
"I…wait…no…please, please…just…please. Listen."  
  
Even from outside the classroom, Sirius could hear her ragged breaths. He shot a bewildered look at James, who was apparently as confused as he was. Before Sirius had the chance to say anything, however, a bitter laugh came from the classroom. "Dear, dear Joanna. Never knew what's best for you. Always out to protect your hopeless ideals, no matter what the cost. Give me the stone, I tell you. I would so hate to go to…ah…Unforgivable depths."  
  
At this, the conversation seemed to cease, and Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter scurried back to Gryffindor Tower, minds full of wonder and confusion at the conversation they had just heard.  
  
*  
  
Author's Note: Well, how was this? Please review below; constructive criticism is much appreciated.  



	2. Beginning Waves

Disclaimer: It's all J.K. Rowling's.  
  
Author's Note: Before I start...my condolances to the victims and the family of the victims from last week's tragedy, and a huge thank you to those brave souls involved in the rescue efforts. Seeing such selflessness really makes me proud to be an American. Now, for story-related things: A million apologies for the terrible delay. I know it's no excuse, but writer's block, camp, computer problems, FF.N being down and my cross-country move got the better of me. So sorry! And if there are and "Aftermath and Awakenings" readers here, I'm working on part 9, I swear I am. It should be out…soon. That's all I'm saying. Thank you to all of you wonderful people who reviewed the first part of this. *Please* drop a line telling me what you think! I love hearing input. I've outlined the rest of this series, which will have several parts. Also, here there is one "flashback within a flashback", so please don't be confused! I think it's pretty obvious where that is, though. A huge thank-you to Aria* for beta-ing. (Read her stuff if you want MWPP that's better than this.) That said, please enjoy.   
  
Beyond the Sea of Time  
Chapter Two  
A Harry Potter Fanfic by Aira  
  
***  
  
"And what are we discussing today?"  
  
Remus, who had just entered the kitchen where he and Harry had been sitting and talking, snapped Sirius out of the realm of his memories. Sirius grinned at his friend. "Just telling Harry about some of our famous adventures!"  
  
"Infamous is more like it," Remus responded with a smile.  
  
"Actually, I was just telling him about Professor Jones."  
  
At this, Harry cleared his throat, and Sirius got on with the tale.  
  
*  
  
"I wonder what that was all about," Sirius mused to James, Remus, and Peter in their dorm later that night.  
  
"The first key is finding out who 'Greg' is," Remus reasoned practically.  
  
"Yeah, I reckon you're right."  
  
"Jones and 'Greg' obviously have an intimate, if not somewhat strained, relationship," Remus continued sensibly. "Maybe he's her…brother? Friend? Husband?"  
  
At the last suggestion, Sirius let out a snort. Who would want to marry a teacher? The look of disgust on James' face made it evident that he was in agreement, while Peter just appeared puzzled.  
  
The four contemplated theories for the next half-hour, but none seemed likely. They were faced with the unpleasant truth: They had no real clues about what Jones had been talking about and had made no progress in unraveling the cryptic conversation.  
  
"We'll just keep an eye out," James declared finally. "You know, watch out for any suspicious behavior."  
  
Sirius went to sleep that night utterly perplexed, yet terribly excited to be involved in what seemed to be a real-life mystery. His thoughts were of fantastical nature as he imagined himself solving the enigma of Professor Jones.  
  
But had Sirius been paying attention, he would have heard muffled sobs from the other end of the room.  
  
  
A few days later, an event arose which put all investigation to a temporary halt. That is, James had his twelfth birthday.  
  
Sirius, Remus, and Peter had the day beforehand researching charms to surprise James with. Sirius' lips curled slightly as he remembered that excursion…  
  
*  
  
"Look at this one!" Sirius proclaimed, pointing to a page in 'Birthday Magic-Charm Your Friends!'   
  
Remus peered at the page, and gave a low chuckle. "Somehow I doubt that James will appreciate his own parade of miniature elephants singing to him. We're not advanced enough for that charm, anyway."  
  
"You're no fun," Sirius grumbled.  
  
Peter, who had been ignoring this exchange, suddenly cleared his throat. "How about this one?" he asked, pointing to a page in the book he had been reading.  
  
Sirius and Remus looked over the page:  
  
The Fiery Birthday Charm is a spell that nevertheless produces pleasing results. If performed correctly, the person who is having a birthday will awaken to a small, attractive, and entirely safe fireworks display that will end in the words 'Happy Birthday.'   
  
"That sounds great! What a way to surprise, Jamesy, eh? Imagine his face when he wakes up to fireworks!"  
  
Remus, on the other hand, was still reading. "This could be dangerous. 'However, if performed incorrectly, this charm can cause a small explosion or fire,'" he quoted.  
  
Peter suddenly appeared very nervous. "Maybe this isn't the best idea-"  
  
Sirius, who was most unconcerned, cut him off. "It says 'if performed incorrectly.' So we'll 'perform it correctly', no problem. We have nothing to worry about."  
  
*  
  
"Famous last words," Remus muttered as Sirius finished telling the story to Harry.  
  
"Why?" Harry asked, shooting an amused glance at his godfather. "What happened?"  
  
At this, Remus gave a great, loud chuckle, while Sirius turned slightly pink. "Oh, nothing, really…"  
  
Remus laughed even more, and Sirius glared. "Oh, fine…"  
  
And he was once again tangled in the past.  
  
*  
  
Several deafening 'bangs' awoke Sirius the next more. "Huh…wha…?" he murmured, still only half-awake.  
  
He suddenly recalled the Fiery Birthday Charm he and Remus had set around James' bed the previous night, and that realization awoke him like a bucketful of cold water. Eager to see his friend's reaction, he turned his attention towards James.  
  
James' face was a fitting combination of shock and amusement as multicolored sparks danced above his head. He laughed rapturously as they fireworks formed the words 'Happy Birthday', evidently pleased. Sirius whooped in delight at the success of the charm, and Remus and Peter, who were also awake, clapped.  
  
The applause was premature, however. After the words were formed, the fireworks suddenly formed a medium-sized fireball. That in itself was not so terrible; after all, it was even kind of cool. Perhaps the fireball was simply an unmentioned aftereffect of the charm? But when the great ball began to soar through the dormitory at top speed, smoldering any object it came in contact with, things weren't quite so enjoyable. Not at all.  
  
Peter, surprisingly, was the first to recover from the shock of their surprise gone wrong. He quickly pointed his wand out, quietly muttered something, and a small stream of water came streaming out. While this wasn't nearly enough to extinguish the fireball, Remus, Sirius, and James got the idea. All three quickly drew their wands and performed Extinguishing Spells simultaneously.   
  
With a brief sizzling sound, the ball of fire quickly dissolved into nothingness, leaving the four friends with a few damaged belongings, a pile of ashes on the floor, and hurt pride.  
  
Sighing, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter began the task of cleaning up the ashes. Remus, in spite of the failed charm, was certainly looking quite smug about something. "I hate to say this, Sirius, but…"  
  
"Don't you dare say 'I told you so,'" Sirius warned.  
  
"I did tell you so," Remus finished at the same time.  
  
  
  
At breakfast that morning, James received a multitude of packages. "Better start opening all these, mate," Sirius said cheekily, waving aside any feelings of envy that may have arisen at the sight of so many presents.  
  
James' parents and assorted other relatives had given him: A large box of Chocolate Frogs, a book entitled So You Want to Turn Your Best Friend Into A Frog-Advanced Transfiguration for Beginners, various other sweets, and a large bag of an experimental product called "Dungbombs."   
  
"I wonder what those do," James wondered thoughtfully.  
  
"From the sound of them, they probably smell awful," reasoned Peter.  
  
"Oh, wow! Can't wait to try these out on Snape, eh?"  
  
While Sirius grinned at the thought of Snape inflicted by what was most likely an extremely foul odor, he noticed that one package remained unopened. "Hey, Jamesy, you forgot to open that one," he said, pointing.  
  
His friend immediately grabbed the package and began to unwrap it. When James saw the contents, he gasped. "Unbelievable," he murmured. "Unbelievable."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
James grinned as he proudly displayed a light silver cloak. "It's an Invisibility Cloak," he said with great relish.  
  
Sirius' jaw dropped. "Really?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued on hurriedly. "Amazing! Can you even imagine how much we could do with this thing? We could sneak around after curfew unnoticed, hex Snape, steal the teachers' lesson plans…"  
  
He spoke with such enthusiasm and resolve that even Peter, who had appeared somewhat reluctant, appeared excited. Sirius beamed, his mind reeling in all of the exciting possibilities.  
  
  
Before too long, Christmas holiday came, and with it the usual dose of homework, holiday cheer, and merriment. Peter had returned home for the holidays, but Sirius, James, and Remus had elected to stay here; James because he couldn't stand to spend Christmas with his older sister Christine, Sirius because he thought it would be a good chance to look for secret passages around the castle, and Remus because…well, he hadn't given a reason, actually.  
  
And what a joyous holiday too. The days were long and relaxed, generally spent playing Exploding Snap and devising ways to torture Mr. Norris, Filch's cat. Sirius couldn't help but feel a pang as the final day of vacation approached. After the leisurely fortnight he had just experienced, regular class schedule seemed dull and monotonous. In the middle of a final chess game with James, he noticed that Remus was missing. "Where's Remus?" he asked absently, moving a pawn.  
  
"I dunno. I haven't seen him since yesterday."  
  
"Maybe he's in the hospital wing. We should go visit him."  
  
And so they did, after Sirius annihilated James at chess. On the way to the hospital wing, however, the pair heard voices coming from an empty classroom…  
  
"Let me make this simple for you: You give me the wand and live. Or you don't give me the wand, and you die and I get it anyway."  
  
The voice was cold and devoid of emotion. Sirius gave a shudder. This had to be the "Greg" they'd heard a few months previously. And he had to be talking to…  
  
"It's too dangerous a tool in-in his hands," spoke Professor Jones, trembling.  
  
"I don't deny it. And yet what are you doing with the great Merlin's wand? Not a thing! You are a fool, Joanna. A hopeless, idealistic fool who doesn't even recognize true power when it's all within your grasp. You could do so much with such an artifact-and I'll wager you've never done more than touch the thing. You are hardly worthy of something so powerful! How it fell into your hands is beyond my comprehension. Now step aside and give the wand to those who want to use it."  
  
"N-no, I-I won't."  
  
A mirthless, chilling laugh. "Do what you like. But I give you warning that my Lord is not nearly as patient or as forgiving as I."  
  
  
"Is that all that they said?" Remus inquired from the hospital bed on which he lay, appearing alarmingly pale and ill.  
  
"Yeah, we think so."  
  
"Hmm. Well, we certainly know more now than we did. So "it" is Merlin's wand. Interesting."  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked a puzzled Sirius.  
  
Even though he looked as though he might perhaps faint from exhaustion, Remus still managed to roll his eyes. "We research, of course. Find out just what this Merlin's wand is and what it can do."  
  
"Oh. Right."  
  
  
Several days later, Sirius found himself in the library, accompanied by Remus, James, and Peter, whom had been filled in on recent events. The group had started out their research crusade with all the vigor and enthusiasm of four adventurers beginning a new quest. After an hour of research with no luck, however, the fervor faded into nothingness as quickly as a Disappearing Chocolate Frog. Remus alone was still interested in their project, and insisted upon searching one more book.  
  
"Here!" he proclaimed proudly, point at a page.  
  
Sirius leaned over to read:  
  
Merlin's Wand:  
  
Merlin the Magnificent, considered by most to be the most powerful wizard of all time, arranged it so that his powers would not be lost upon his death. Legend has it that during his dying moments, he used his natural abilities to transfer his magical powers to his wand. It is said that any spell cast with this wand is a thousand times stronger than if it were used on an ordinary wand. Even Squibs can perform magic using Merlin's wand. In the hands of a powerful witch or wizard, the owner will be invincible. However, there has yet to be solid proof that such an artifact even exists, and most scholars say Merlin's wand is a wizarding myth.  
  
Sirius thought back to the conversation he'd overheard. "It exists all right," he said softly.  
  
***  
  
Author's Note: Next part should be out…uh, whenever I finish it. J In the meantime, please keep in mind that I am very much motivated by reviews. *hint, hint*   



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